| The job of a fire marshal in the United
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| | A government official, a mysterious fire,
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| States is often like the job of a private
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| | a political radical, a confrontation. In
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| investigator: thankless and fascinating.
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| | most situations, this would be a clear
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| But a private investigator's role is
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| | opportunity for power and authority to
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| usually punitive: figure out who's
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| | assume their roles, for the government
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| scamming the insurance company, say, or
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| | official to make clear, punitive
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| where the ex-convict who broke parole ran
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| | statements. But that's not what
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| to. A good fire marshal, on the other
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| | Maldonado--a fire marshal, after all,
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| hand, never forgets one critical rule:
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| | did.
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| fire safety comes first, no matter what.
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| | "To the person or persons responsible for
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| Paul Maldonado, fire marshal for the
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| | this crime I would like to relay a
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| State of Texas, was called in to
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| | message," said Maldonado in the same
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| investigate the recent fire at the Austin
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| | conference. "We are concerned with your
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| mansion of Governor Rick Perry. In
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| | safety."
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| retrospect, it must have seemed
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| | He went on to explain: the video footage
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| inevitable that the building would be
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| | showed a man with some experience
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| targeted for arson. Perry, former
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| | throwing incendiary devices. Fire is a
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| lieutenant Governor under President Bush,
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| | terrible thing to experiment with, warned
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| inherited much of the ill will that the
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| | Maldonado. The arsonist chose a
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| student population in Austin held for the
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| | dangerous means of sending a message to
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| Texas Republicans, and his reign as
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| | the governor--dangerous not only to the
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| Governor was marked by occasional scandal
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| | mansion, but to the arsonist. And more:
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| and a rising discontent among the
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| | Maldonado said that he appreciated, above
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| electorate. The 2007 announcement that
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| | all, the willingness of the arsonist to
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| the Governor's mansion would be remodeled
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| | wait until the Governor was away, until
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| to the tune of $10 million--including a
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| | the mansion was deserted, to set his
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| state-of-the-art fire suppression
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| | fire.
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| system--must have been, in retrospect,
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| | "We will not forget that," the fire
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| the last straw. On the night of June 8,
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| | marshal said.
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| 2008, that straw burst into flames.
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| | The investigation goes on, of course.
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| Maldonado and his video surveillance team
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| | But what it reveals about the
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| knew who the suspect was--roughly, of
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| | investigator is almost more fascinating
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| course. He fit the established profile:
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| | than the eventual identity of the
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| young, twenty-something, athletic.
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| | culprit. It's rare to find a public
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| Angry, even. In a press conference,
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| | official who truly concerns himself with
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| Maldonado proposed that this anger was
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| | what's really important in criminal
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| the cause of the arson. He might be
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| | matters: the threat to public safety, and
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| angry "at the death penalty-- and other
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| | the value of human life. It takes a fire
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| political issues," Maldonado said. "His
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| | marshal, in the end, to say that he
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| feelings of anger and frustration will be
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| | appreciates his quarry for valuing human
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| noted by people who know him."
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| | life.
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